USSTRATCOM Joint PME website earns Air Force award

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. – The United States Strategic Command Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education (EJPME) Community of Practice (CoP) website hosted by Air Force Knowledge Now (AFKN) recently earned honors as AFKN Champion CoP Award winner for the 1st Quarter of 2009 in the Enhancing Force Category.

The site, maintained by Command members assigned to the Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC-Space) at Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, Colo. , offers enlisted members of all services with a Knowledge Now password the opportunity to enhance their understanding of enlisted members' roles in joint operations.

Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Narofsky, command chief for USSTRATCOM, emphasized the importance of making joint professional education available to service members worldwide.

"Our vision is to produce a joint-minded warrior," said the chief. "Our goal is to develop enlisted service members so they understand joint collaboration and joint leadership and this site helps accomplish that goal in a number of ways.

"First, we use the site to focus on the critical role joint enlisted leadership plays in executing the command's strategic/tactical missions. That's accomplished by highlighting important attributes, traits, or aspects of enlisted leadership and leader responsibilities to joint forces," he said. "We then create opportunities to continuously improve individual leadership capacity and capability to influence decision processes using links to established integrated professional development and operations academia's proven e-learning sites".

"This site provides a conduit to educate our Global Warriors," said the chief. ""It's a one-stop shop for centralized and standardized training for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines assigned to USSTRATCOM. "

The information on the site reaches across the entire spectrum of joint education, which is what makes it a living, breathing source for enlisted members of every service branch, said Senior Master Sgt. Jacob Simmons, Operations Superintendent for JFCC-Space, Missile Warning Center.

"By incorporating service orientation modules, the CoP facilitates and stimulates cross-talk mentoring sessions among the joint enlisted force," Sergeant Simmons said. "The result is a better understanding of sister service histories, traditions, culture, and missions, as well as an ability to prepare those in joint duty assignments. Although we are honored to win this award we are constantly looking at ways to improve the website to make it more functional and operational for our enlisted members. "

Chief Narofsky said the importance of making these types of functions available at every member's fingertips is essential for the continuous growth of our enlisted force.

"What we've done is to provide a virtual EJPME experience for the USSTRATCOM global enterprise" he said. "It's an amazing initiative, run by enlisted members for enlisted members. And the innovation in managing educational assets is a prime example of how important advancement and educational improvement is to the joint enlisted community. "

"It's an honor to have our work recognized, but even more of an honor to be able to provide this important resource to the enlisted corps working worldwide daily to protect our freedoms," said U.S. Army Sgt. Jovito Salita, site contributor and Human Resource noncommissioned officer in charge, JFCC-Space Missile Warning Center.

The Enlisted Joint PME site can be accessed at the following location: https://wwwd.my.af.mil/afknprod/ASPs/CoP/EntryCoP.asp?Filter=OO-OP-ST-02